The present method of towing commercial aircraft on the ground at airports today requires the support of a minimum of two and in some cases three maintenance personnel. First a tow bar is selected that is compatible with the type of aircraft to be towed or pushed back from the airport gate. As many as 15 different tow bars may be required in an airport gate area to accommodate the various types of aircraft which have different designs of coupling means attached to their nose landing gear. The selected tow bar partially supported on two wheels is then manually attached to the towing vehicle by means of an eye arrangement. Next the vehicle under power moves the wheel supported tow bar to line up the coupling end of the tow bar in close proximity to the coupling means attached to the aircraft's retractable nose landing gear. The coupling end of the tow bar is then manually lifted and lined up for the manual manipulation of the locking mechanism. This lining up and locking operation requires a vehicle operator and at least one person to lift, align, and effect the coupling of the tow bar to the aircraft.
Before the aircraft is towed or pushed back from the gate two additional operations must be accomplished. First a person must hook up a telephone connection line to the aircraft in order to communicate with the aircraft pilot while walking along the aircraft under tow. The second operation required before towing is the manual disengagement of the aircraft nose hydraulic steering system so as to allow steering of the aircraft while under tow.